Oklahoma City – The NAIA National Office released their 2023 awards as part of their National Awards Day and the Sooner Athletic Conference was well-represented as 54 SAC athletic teams were named as NAIA Scholar Teams. The day recognizes the association's highest individual honors and achievements of NAIA student-athletes, administrators, and coaches. Additionally, the association announced the nine-member class of the 2022-23 NAIA Hall of Fame.
 
Included in the 2023 NAIA Hall of Fame is a pair of individuals that many around the SAC know as they helped raise the bar in their respective athletic departments. 

John Brown University led the way for the SAC with 14 teams making the list while Texas Wesleyan had 12 squads mentioned and Wayland Baptist saw 11 of their teams earn NAIA Scholar Team honors.
 
Jim Abbott, the former Athletic Director at Oklahoma City, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He led the Stars Athletic department for 19 years and oversaw construction and renovation projects totaling more than $17 million. Among the facilities built were the Ann Lacy Softball Stadium, the Devon Boathouse, the Knight Strength and Conditioning Facility, and the Jim Wade Athletic Office Suite. During his tenure, the OCU baseball, soccer, and wrestling facilities were also improved. 
 
Student-athletes thrived academically during Abbott’s tenure with an annual cumulative grade point average above 3.0 each year. He created the first chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, a national student-athlete honor society, in the state of Oklahoma to recognize the academic achievements of OCU student-athletes.
 
Athletically, Oklahoma City won an astonishing 48 of their total 72 national championships under Abbott’s leadership. OCU captured three Learfield Sports Directors' Cup titles, and the department placed in the top 15 of the Director’s Cup rankings in all of Abbott’s 19 years as AD.
 
On the court, Hazel Taylor had an incredible career at Wayland Baptist, and it was her accomplishments that propelled her into the Hall of Fame.
 
Taylor played three seasons for the Flying Queens at Wayland Baptist University. In her time there her teams qualified for the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament three times, making it as far as the third round twice. In her final year, 1999, she was named NAIA National Player of the Year and Rawlings Player of the Year. She finished her decorated career as a three-time NAIA First Team All-American, three-time Kodak All-American, and the Flying Queens all-time career scoring average leader at 24.5 points per game. She is a member of the Wayland Baptist Hall of Honor and a 2014 Inductee into the Wayland Baptist University Sports Hall of Fame. 
 
After she was through playing collegiately, Taylor served as a student-assistant coach for three years at Wayland Baptist. In 2004 she played professionally for the Lubbock Hawks during their inaugural season in the National Women’s Basketball League.
 
To view all of the NAIA Scholar Team recipients (by GPA), click HERE!
To view all of the NAIA Scholar Team recipients (by INSTITUTION), click HERE!
To view all of the NAIA Scholar Team recipients (by SPORT), click HERE!
To view all of the NAIA Scholar Team recipients (by STATE), click HERE!